The BeginningPart 1 of the Angel series
by cornishpixie330
Summary: Part 1 of the Angel series. C/A with some T/L. Romance/comedy/drama. The story of how Angelica learns to be loving and selfless. Rated for some language and adult themes. More couples in future parts. Please R & R and I hope you enjoy it!
1. Prologue

**Author's notes: My conceptualization of the Rugrats characters is not based on the All Grown Up series. I've only actually seen that series a few times. The character traits are things that I've imagined from watching the original Rugrats series, so they may clash with the character traits from the AGU series. On the other hand, a few of the character traits may stem from what I've seen of AGU (for example, I love how weird Dil is on the show). **

**Warnings: Pay attention to the rating, please. There will be some (not much) swearing, light underage alcohol use and adult themes/suggestions but nothing too intense. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Rugrats or All Grown Up characters and am definitely not making any money from this story. **

**And so begins part one of the _Angel_ series.**

**Prologue**

This is the story of how Angelica Pickles was born. Not how she was really born. That conception started with an issue of _Forbes_ magazine and a bottle of '74 Merlot. But this was something else completely. This is the story of how she stopped being the person she was before and was reborn, sweeter and more loving than she ever was as a child. Angelica C. Pickles came to be one of the most selfless people I've ever had the great fortune of knowing. And let's just say I've been around a long time.

But the journey was a long one and not always easy. When her peers looked at her, they only saw her professionally manicured French tips, her designer clothes and her flawless highlights. By age 13, she had the latest cell phone (until a year later when she begged for a new one, as her first was "out of style") and by age 16 she was driving her father's BMW to school. Angelica was, of course, the most popular girl in school, although she sometimes got the ironic feeling that people didn't like her very much. However, not one to let others dissuade her from her opinions, she pushed these occasional doubts to the back of her mind and kept on believing in her own perfection. This, um…_healthy_…self-esteem was egged on by her doting parents, of course. But this story is not about Drew and Charlotte. No one is perfect. No matter their mistakes, Angelica turned out all right in the end.

The truth was, although Angelica didn't know it (or refused to acknowledge it), that her suspicions were right. From pre-school to high school, few people genuinely liked her. Her classmates flocked to her, of course, wanting to be seen with her, wanting a piece of her popularity. But she never had real friends. She had the chance, several times, to have friends, but she turned them down. Her cousin Tommy didn't exactly _like_ her, but he guessed he loved her. She was his cousin, after all. But every time he tried to be nice to her, she was just as mean as she always was. By the time he was 13 years old, he just gave up. And by the time they were in high school, Tommy and Angelica were equally popular.

But, being two years younger than his cousin, Tommy rarely saw Angelica at school. She had her adoring friends and he had his. However, his popularity was very different from hers. Although the general consensus was that his brother was a "weirdo" and his best friend a "dweeb", Tommy remained the most popular boy in his grade throughout high school. The difference was that people _genuinely _liked Tommy. Tommy's best friends had less reason to try and like Angelica. She wasn't related to _them_. But, if for no other reason than to appease Tommy, they did try, to no avail.

In fact, it seemed as though Angelica was meaner to her two cousins and their friends than she was to most people. But she wasn't as horrible to anyone as she was to Chuck Finster.

Chuck's first memory was of Angelica pushing him out of a swing at the park when he was four years old. He lost a tooth (to be fair, it was already loose), but wouldn't tell anyone what happened to him. In all honesty, he could swear he remembered her even before that. He remembered her pushing him, yelling at him, and making his life miserable in general. He especially remembered the day that his dad made him the playhouse. Angelica couldn't fit into it, so, out of her jealousy and selfishness, she told his friends that he was an alien and was going to take them away to space in his playhouse, a.k.a. spaceship. However, when he eventually brought that particular memory up to Tommy, his best friend had no recollection of it. When he asked his dad about the playhouse, he discovered that it was built when he was only two years old. According to his family, at age two, he was still adamantly not talking. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing…

Although Chuck thought that Angelica would always bully him, by the time they were teenagers, she seemed to tire of it. In fact, from ninth grade on, she barely acknowledged his existence. Something for which he was grateful. At least, most of the time. Occasionally, his chest fluttered for no reason other than the fact that Angelica was walking past him in the hall at school. The chatter around him faded and a light seemed to surround her, like a cheesy scene from a movie. Then she would ruin it, by shoving him against his locker as she passed, shouting "Move it, Finster!" with a none too subtle grin. And, rubbing his arm, Chuck wondered which was worse, being assaulted by a beautiful girl or being ignored by one? He decided being assaulted wasn't so bad.

However, this story really starts in…2007? Yes, I believe so. In any case, Angelica was 19 years old. She looked more like her mother than ever. She was also extremely like Charlotte in many other ways. She was intelligent, witty and just a little bit cunning. She was good at debating, and even better at arguing. She was good at charming people to her benefit, but had a little trouble with numbers (except when it came to money; Angelica never played around when it came to money). However, she was very different from her mother in a number of ways, which would all be revealed in time.

Angelica had just finished her first year at college, where she was studying business, naturally. It had been quite a year. And I had been there with her through it all. The last minute cramming, the late night non-fat mochachinos, more than a few hangovers and an _almost_ tearful, rocky, sort of, kind of relationship. I say "almost tearful" because Angelica had not really cried in a long time. But after The Change, Angelica would shed genuine tears on many different occasions. Tears of despair. Of joy. Of frustration. But she would never regret the choices she made.

But back to 2007. It was May. The sun was shining. Flowers were blooming. Bees were buzzing. Or something like that. In any case, Angelica was leaving the trendy coffee shops and 24-hour diners of the city behind and going home to the "cripplingly boring suburbs" (her words, not mine). Of course, I went with her. It's kind of what I do. What occurred after that, I shall explain as I saw it. Imagine me as sort of a fly on the wall, though a bit different. For one, I'm a lot smarter than a fly (though some would disagree). Also, I have a bit more insight. It's not like I can read people's minds. I don't know exact thoughts. Only He can do that. But I do have the ability to _sense_ thoughts and feelings and I usually know what's best for my wards.

So Angelica came back to her hometown for the summer. The first thing her father asked her to do was come with him to her Uncle Stu's house. Uncle Stu and Aunt Didi, along with Grandpa Lou and his wife Lulu, were going away on a week-long cruise. Angelica assured her dad that she wanted to come and say _bon voyage_ and all that but she had a lot of unpacking to do. As soon as her father was gone, she took the credit card he'd given her for emergencies and headed to the mall.


	2. Sunday

**Sunday**

In Angelica's eyes, the mall was about the only decent thing to do around here. In high school, the mall was her life. The mall, and parties and football games. Now she was back, a year after graduation, thinking that things would be exactly the same. So when she called up Liz and Ashlee to go shopping with her, she was surprised to find that Liz had gotten an apartment in L.A. and had landed a modeling gig over the summer. Ashlee was in town but wanted to spend as much time as possible with her new boyfriend. Frustrated, Angelica called Nikki, who apparently was in Hawaii with Tracey Wilkerson, whom, as Angelica reminded her, Nikki had previously vouched as a "horrid cow". But Nikki insisted that Tracey had changed and that she and Nikki were best friends now.

"I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that her dad is CEO of Wilkerson Industries and undoubtedly financed your little trip to Hawaii." spat Angelica while trying on a pair of Manolos.

"Oh Angelica! You're just _jealous_!" Click.

"Ughhh!" Angelica threw her cell into her bag violently. She was angry because Nikki was right; she _was _jealous. She was angry because her so-called friends had all deserted her. And she was angry because these incompetent people didn't have these red stilettos in her size.

"Hello!" she yelled at the portly salesman. "Could I possibly get some service here? I need these—" She shoved the box into his arms—"In seven and a half. Think you can handle that?" His pudgy face contorted but he nodded and left with the box. Angelica sighed and leaned back in the chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had been angry a lot lately. She thought it was stress and that it would go away when she came home for the summer. But it wasn't stress. It was all that loneliness building up inside of her.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Tommy, I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that." Tommy fell back on his bed in frustration.

"Yeah, well, you know I'm right." Chuck Finster ran a hand through his messy red-orange hair and sighed. "I just _know _something will go wrong."

Tommy reached down into the mess covering his floor and pulled from the clutter a magazine. "Yeah, but you know what I always say—it's not a party if something doesn't go wrong."

"Yeah, you _would _say that." Chuck slipped two fingers beneath the black frames of his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But I'd rather you not throw me a party, really."

Tommy flipped though the magazine. "Oh, come on, Chuck. You're graduating! You're gonna go off to college and leave us all behind, never think twice about us."

"Oh, that's not true."

"Well, in any case, we probably won't see you 'till Christmas. We gotta see you off in style. My parents are gonna be gone for a week! We can have a party every night."

"I just don't think—"

"It'll be so awesome. Phil's gonna get the keg—"

"I'm not sure—"

"And the girls are gonna love you, college guy."

"I—girls?" Chuck grinned at the thought but quickly snapped back to reality. "Rigghhht. Tom, I'm not you. Girls don't fall over themselves trying to get to me. And I just have this bad feeling that something's gonna go down, I'd just rather not—" He stopped mid-sentence. "You're so not listening to me. I'm trying to tell you why I don't want a party and you're too absorbed in your—" he snatched the magazine from his friend's hands—"_Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition_ to pay attention."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Chuck, you're my best friend, but sometimes you drive me up the wall with your anal retentiveness. You _need _this party. You need to loosen up. Have a few drinks. Maybe meet a nice girl."

"Right." Chuck stood up. "I just—"

"—Don't think it's a good idea." mimicked Tommy. He sighed. "Fine. No party."

"Good." Chuck made his way to the door.

"Chuck?"

"Hmm?"

"My magazine?"

"Oh. Yeah. Well, I think I'm gonna borrow this."

"Dude…I'm telling you, you need to get _laaaiiiiid_!"


	3. Monday

**Author's notes: I suck at video games and know nothing about them. Please forgive me if my description of Mario Kart is way off. I haven't played it in years.**

**Monday**

"Oh, _ouch_, Pickles, that looked like it hurt!"

Tommy tried to look sour, to no avail. "Yeah, yeah, good one but it was just luck."

"Luck?!" yelped Lil incredulously. "Nuh-uh, that's what he call scrait up skillz, skillz with a z." She formed a gang signal with her fingers and pouted her lips in a comically futile attempt at looking gangster.

Tommy laughed so hard he snorted. Lil giggled and he felt his face go hot. He turned his attention back to the game. Hitting buttons and twisting knobs furiously, he concentrated on maneuvering his go-kart through the labyrinth. Lil laughed again and he noticed for the first time how melodious a sound it was, so different from his own laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You'll never find meeeee." she sang gleefully.

"I'll never give up, until I hunt you down and pop all your balloons and then bomb you until your kart explodes into a million pieces—"

"That's not even possible!"

"Oh, I'll make it happen. I—"

"Tom, you're out of food, man."

Chuck stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms filled with a bag of Doritos, a box of snack cakes, and a half finished two-liter Mountain Dew. Tommy raised his eyebrows.

"Gee, I wonder why."

Chuck plopped down on the couch next to Tommy. "Did your parents leave you some money? Maybe we should go shopping."

"We? Are we like a couple now? Are you planning on moving in? Because I just don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment."

"Whatever, man."

"They left enough money for me and Dil to survive for a week. They definitely didn't leave enough to feed _you_. They're not millionaires."

"I'm just saying—"

"Hey!" Tommy's control vibrated against his hand. "What's going on here?"

"I just popped _another_ of your balloons." Lil said with a grin. "Last life, sucka!"

"That's not fair—"

_ding dong_.

Tommy paused the game. He shoved Lil playfully, trying to ignore the prickly sensation that crept from his fingertips to his shoulder. "_You _don't cheat while I'm gone."

_ding dong_.

Her eyes widened indignantly. "I don't cheat! I'm just really awesome."

"Well, yeah…but—"

_ding dong_.

"Dammit. Who's so impatient?" Tommy opened the door. "Angelica?" Chuck glanced at the open door in surprise. There stood a curvy female silhouette against the setting sun. She let herself in without being invited and, as she stepped into the living room, he saw that, although her golden-blond hair had grown well past her shoulders, it was indeed Angelica Pickles. She brought a cigarette up to her bubblegum pink lips. She exhaled and grinned. "Holy _shit_, you guys look different. She wrapped her arm around Tommy's neck and pulled him close. "You're all grown up!" She tried to give him a violent noogie, the lit cigarette dangerously close to his head. He wrestled out of her grasp, cursing under his breath.

Lil nodded in brief acknowledgement. "Angelica."

Chuck just stared. It was weird seeing her. It had been…well, only a year, but it seemed like so much time had passed. Maybe because they hadn't really spoken in at least two years. But there was something very…different…about her. Besides the smoking, which was new and not exactly appealing.

"You can't smoke in here," said Tommy. "My mom will freak if she smells it on her furniture."

Angelica glanced back at her cousin and took another drag off the cigarette before sidling into the kitchen. Tommy sat back down between Chuck and Lil. He grabbed his control "Ok, you're going down." Lil grinned, ready for the challenge. "You wish." They continued their battle and Angelica returned, sans cigarette. As the couch was full, she perched herself on the arm, mere inches from Chuck, a fact he couldn't help noticing.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked, crossing her legs and leaning back elegantly.

Lil snorted. Only Angelica treated every day like a fashion shoot.

"Mario Kart." grunted Tommy as he searched for the ever-elusive Lil.

"Fascinating." muttered Angelica.

"Angelica, did I sense a bit of scalding sarcasm there?"

"Oh, no, Lil. Course not."

"Ah! There is goes again. If we bore you so much, then, please do tell, why did you decide to grace us with your presence?"

Angelica shrugged. "Nothing to do in this town."

At that moment, Dil came down the stairs, wearing a silver colander on his head. He paid no attention to the stares he received but kept on walking to the kitchen. A moment later he emerged, carrying a wire whisk, a rubber spatula, some aluminum foil and a bottle of grape juice. "Hey, guys." he said casually.

"Hey…"

He made his way back upstairs and Angelica craned her neck, staring at his retreating form until he disappeared. She leaned over so far, that she toppled over and had to break her fall with Chuck's shoulder. But she neither apologized for nor even acknowledged this. _Typical Angelica_. She pushed herself back onto the arm of the couch, using his shoulder, and none too gently at that.

"Tommy…"

"Don't ask, Angelica. That's my new policy…. Whenever I see Dill…I just don't ask."

Lil giggled, bringing Tommy's attention back to the game.

"I'm gonna get you, Peach!" he threatened.

"Not likely, Mario!"

"Whatcha been up to, Finster?"

Chuck jumped a little as he realized Angelica was talking to him. She was talking to him in almost a whisper, in a voice that made even the word 'whatcha' sound seductive. He ran a hand through his hair to try to stall while he thought of something interesting to say. It didn't work. "I—um…nothing. I just…nothing."

She raised her eyebrows. "Nothing at all, huh?"

"Well…I got into college, that's something."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Like you wouldn't get in. You're a flippin' genius, Finster…well, I mean, obviously, not where it counts. I mean, you have no style or personality. But you're book smart, and that's gotta count for something."

Chuck was speechless. He didn't know which part of this statement to criticize first.

"So where are you going?"

"State."

"That's where I go." she said.

"Yeah, I know…I'm sure we won't see each other, it's such a big campus."

"Hmm…so when do you graduate?"

"This Saturday."

"Yeah, we're throwing him the best party." chimed in Tommy.

"We're _not _having a party," protested Chuck.

"Oh, a party!" Angelica grinned devilishly and the other three met eyes at the all too familiar sight. "Yay! Something to do around here."

"I'm sure you'd be disappointed after all your college parties," Chuck started, "And—hey, wait! We're _not _having a party!"

"Oh, you should have one!" insisted Angelica. "My friends threw me one for graduation…well, they planned to throw me a party but then they got kinda drunk and forgot to invite me, and, well…"

"Some friends." muttered Chuck.

A tiny sigh escaped her lips and Chuck noticed what was different about her. She looked sad. She smiled brightly, as though she knew what he was thinking. "Well, I'm inviting myself to your party."

Chuck just ignored the talk about the party and kept on munching his Doritos. However, it was difficult, as he was painfully aware of Angelica's presence. What was his deal? He hadn't acted this way in a long time. There's no way those feelings were coming back, not after all the stuff that she put him through. She had always had some weird, almost spooky power over him. She was either verbally abusing him (ok, sometimes physically, too) or ignoring him or somehow generally making him feel like shit. Yet, for some reason, in spite of it all, those feelings always came back. But not this time…definitely not. For a long time, she'd had him hypnotized. He thought that maybe, just maybe, there was more to her than what she let other people see. But, one day, he finally grew up and realized that if she wanted to spend her time with the sorry group of people she called her friends, she wasn't the girl for him.

He remembered the day that it happened. He was in tenth grade. He was sitting in the cafeteria, picking at something that the school had the audacity to call food. Tommy and Phil were talking animatedly about something, but their voices were just a buzzing in his ears. He remembered that day so well, from the buzzing to the squeezing in the pit of his stomach. All because Angelica sat with them for maybe two minutes. She sat right beside him. It was the closest he'd been to her in a while. Without hesitation, she looked him straight in the eye and said, "Hey, Finster." And, for one of the few times in his life, he felt brave. "Hey, Angelica."

She leaned over him and picked up his fork. Prodding at his lunch, she asked, "What's that?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Angelica glanced at her usual table, where Ashlee was waving at her. She looked back at Chuck. "So, what are you doing this weekend?"

He stared at her. "What…am I…doing?"

"Uh, yeah. What…are you…doing?" she mimicked.

"Nothing, I guess."

"I think I'm going to this party that Kirstie's having her parents are out of town but I might not go I want to see that new Owen Wilson movie but I don't have anyone to go with because all my friends are going to the party." She said all this in one quick sentence. She let out a breath and looked back at Ashlee, who was now waving furiously, with an odd look on her face.

"I….like Owen Wilson." said Chuck finally.

"Hopefully not in the same way that I like him," she said, laughing too loudly at her own joke. He did not like how nervous she seemed, it was so uncharacteristic of her.

"Well…so yeah…I'm free, I guess."

But Angelica had apparently lost her nerve. "Actually, I think I _will_ go to Kirstie's party." She got up and walked away. As she approached her group's table, Ashlee said something and, as Angelica's lovely features contorted, he could tell that it was one of her typical snide remarks. Angelica just laughed, glancing briefly in his direction. He looked down at his tray. He knew what was happening. They were teasing her about him and she was telling them that she was only asking to borrow his notes, or for help on homework. And judging by the way that she laughed, she had made it perfectly clear that that was her only interest in Chuck Finster. She sat down, still laughing. Well. She had made her choice.

Now, two years later, she sat next to him on Tommy's couch. She made him feel nervous and anxious. Well, more nervous and anxious than he usually felt, anyway.

"I like your glasses."

He looked at her incredulously.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Just trying to count how many times you've called me Four Eyes. And now you're complimenting my glasses."

"Oh, that was elementary school. All kids go through a teasing phase."

"No, it was elementary school, middle school _and_ high school. And probably even pre-school."

"Ok, ok, you've made your point, Four Eyes. I'm just saying…they're much better than the old ones." She touched the black frames gently. "You look like the guy from Weezer."

"Yeah, well that's the idea."

He felt himself softening toward her. He was caught off guard by her niceness. He jumped up, suddenly aware that this could lead to no good. "I gotta go."

Tommy was still hitting the buttons on his control furiously. Chuck nudged his shoulder. "I'm goin', man. I promised Mom and Dad I'd be home for dinner."

"What—oh, ok."

And he left without looking back.

Lil shrieked with laughter. "Oh too bad, Pickles, you're dead!"

"How do you know I'm not letting you win?"

"Yeah, _right_!"

Angelica jumped up, angry for a reason she couldn't even explain to herself.

"Oh, why don't you two just go ahead and make out and get it over with!" She let out an exasperated noise and stomped out, not being too gentle with the door.


	4. Tuesday

**Tuesday**

Chuck shut the door behind him loudly. "Tom?" He threw his backpack down on the couch and plopped down beside it. He thought about getting a snack but decided against it. It wasn't worth the effort of walking the ten feet to the kitchen. It wasn't even worth the effort to reach for the remote control on the coffee table. It'd been a terrible day. He didn't sleep much last night and was feeling even more stressed out than usual. He jumped at a noise in the kitchen. "Tommy?" Chuck slid his hands under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Hey, while you're in there, bring me something to eat." A moment later, he heard the padding of footsteps on carpet and opened his eyes to see Angelica settling in beside him. She handed him a large bowl. "Pretzels ok?"

He ran one hand through his perpetually messy hair and took the bowl with his other hand. "Yeah…thanks." He shoved a handful of pretzels in his mouth. He was too tired to care about her watching him eat. "I thought you were Tommy."

She took a sip of her bottled water and set it down on the coffee table. "Yeah. I got that."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged and he thought he saw a smile tugging at her lips. "I'm a bit deceitful sometimes." She reached for her cigarettes and brought one to her lips. Breathing in, she lit it up and exhaled slowly. "Do you mind?"

"No." He lied. "So…what are you doing here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "This is my uncle's house. What are _you _doing here?"

"I always hang out here. Where are Tommy and Dil?" She took a puff of her cigarette. "So accusatory, Finster. Think I killed 'em and hid the bodies beneath the floorboards?" Her red lips were fixed in a slight smile and the cigarette smoke billowed around her face. Chuck grinned, in spite of himself. She certainly had the femme fatale thing down, from the classic looks to the husky voice.

"Tommy was here but I think he went to Phil's. and Dil—" she stopped, staring at him. "What was that?"

"What?"

"You just put a coaster under my water."

"Well, you know. It'll put a ring on the coffee table."

Angelica bit back a grin. "Right. Ok." She got up and walked into the kitchen. When she came back, the cigarette was replaced with a can of Coke. She handed it to him. "For your obvious caffeine addiction." He took it.

"Better than a nicotine addiction."

"Watch it, Finster."

She sat down and reached across him for a pretzel. Leaning back, she bit into it daintily. Chuck grinned and reached for the remote. Angelica could make even an everyday activity like eating seem graceful.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked.

She tucked her legs beneath her and smiled. "So, the interrogation's over? I can stay?" He shrugged and turned on the TV.

"Hmm? What about the Shopping Network?" he asked.

"Uh. No."

"Consensus. Um…Mtv?"

"Mtv hasn't been good in like eight years."

"Definitely." He grinned at her in a really goofy way that, much to her surprise, made her heart beat wildly.

"Discovery Channel?"

"Yeah, sure."

His grin gave way to a look of surprise. "I was only joking with you. I mean, I like Discovery Channel, but I'm kind of a geek."

"I like Discovery Channel, Finster. I _think_ sometimes, ya know. You must think I fill my days with manicures and shopping sprees."

"Well…yeah, something like that…um…" He trailed off when he saw her expression. He'd never seen her looking so angry. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, it's _not_ like that."

You know how people say that an angry woman is even more beautiful? Well, Chuck had never believed that could possibly be true until that moment. Angelica was glaring at him, breathing heavy, eyes vibrant (had they always been that extraordinary color?), and looking more alive than he'd ever seen her. For once, she didn't look like a plastic doll. She looked…real. He was torn between openly admiring her and (probably the smarter choice) cowering in fear.

"Angelica…"

"I'm not an idiot."

"I didn't mean it like that. Of course you're intelligent. How else would you be getting straight A's?"

"I—how did you know that?" she asked in a slightly less frightening tone.

Chuck grinned. "Your parents—over here the other day, bragging."

"Oh."

She tried not to look too pleased but failed miserably. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, her pleased expression faded into a crestfallen one. Oh God. Her emotions were changing so fast. He wanted to make a remark along the lines of PMS but decided that it might not be the best idea.

"Um…something wrong?"

"It's just…I dunno. My parents are really mad at me."

"Oh, so that's why you're avoiding your house." She ignored him and grabbed another pretzel, scooting a little closer to him. Apparently, they'd made up.

"I kind of…took the credit card my dad gave me for emergencies and used it at the mall." She looked at him with a rare sheepish expression. He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, it _was _an emergency. I was dying of boredom! I hate this place."

Chuck shrugged. "It's not so terrible…so…how much did you spend?"

She jammed a pretzel into her mouth and mumbled an incoherent sound around it.

"Come again?"

"$300"

He almost choked. "$300, in one trip? On what?"

"Shoes."

"Damn, woman, how many shoes did you buy?"

"Just one pair."

"Are you serious?"

"They're Manolos. _Hello_!"

"And you wonder why people think badly of you." Just like a lot of other men throughout history, he wished hadn't said it. But it was too late. She reached for her cigarettes. "Huh?" she asked, trying to seem unconcerned. She lit up a cigarette, her fingers shaking a bit. "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Forget it. You shouldn't care what other people think anyway."

She blew out smoke directly in his face. "You used to."

He felt an unusual heat rise in his chest. "Yeah, Angelica, I _used to_. But then I grew up." He could practically hear the blood pumping though his veins and he knew that one of those rare moments of foolish courage was coming up. "And I stuck around for a long time waiting for you to grow up. But it never happened."

She stood up, gripping the cigarette furiously. "Yeah…well…I don't even know what that means!" She made her way to the front door, knocking into a startled Tommy and Phil on her way out.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Dude…" said Tommy.

"Dude…" echoed Phil.

"I know." said an exasperated Chuck.

"What the hell was that about?" Tommy asked, sitting down next to Chuck.

"I'm not sure…we were talking and she was actually being pretty nice and….I dunno."

Phil plopped down on the couch. "_Mythbusters_ is on. Sweet."

"Phil, I don't think you're understanding the severity of the situation here. Our friend Charles is obviously keeping something from us."

Phil grabbed the forgotten bowl of pretzels. "Don't care."

"Is there something going on between you and Angelica?"

Phil tore his eyes away from the TV. "_What_?"

Chuck laughed. "Yeah, you guys got me. That's it. Me and Angelica."

"Hey, it was just a thought." Tommy shrugged. "But, I guess you're right. That doesn't even make sense. (Chuck was a little offended that Tommy found it so implausible) You're such a nice guy—"

"Gee, thanks, I never get tired of hearing that one—"

"—And Angelica's such a—"

"—Heinous bitch?" Chuck offered. Tommy raised his eyebrows.

"Kimi's words, not mine," clarified Chuck.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Lil.

"Tommy. Hey" she gave him a smile that looked like it took a great deal of effort. "What's goin' on?"

"Not much..."

She looked past him pointedly.

"Oh. Yeah. Come on in."

"I just wanna talk to Phil real quick." Phil looked up at the sound of his name.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Mom wants you to come home. You were supposed to cut the grass two days ago."

"Why didn't you just call my cell?" He asked, pulling his phone from his jeans pocket.

"I only tried to like ten times."

Phil grinned sheepishly as he came to that same realization. "Oh, it's on silent. My bad." He got up. "See you, guys."

Lil ran one hand through her long brown hair. "Later, Chuck…Tommy."

As the door shut, Chuck turned to his best friend. "Now who's keeping secrets? What was that about?"


	5. Wednesday

**Wednesday**

"Now, how does this keep happening?" Angelica popped up beside him, the ever-present cigarette clasped in her slender, manicured fingers. "Are you stalking me, Finster?"

"I think you're the one stalking me."

"Right. These are my stomping grounds. What are you doing at the mall, anyway?"

He raked a hand through his hair. "Buying a birthday present for my dad."

She pinched his cheek. "Aww, how sweet." She crushed her cigarette onto the ashtray beside them. "Well, I have some shopping to do myself." She offered him the crook of her arm in an old-fashioned way. "Shall we?"

Chuck crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her, perplexed. "Angelica…I don't understand you…One minute you hate me, the next you want to go strolling in the mall with me…Aren't you afraid your friends will see?"

Angelica blushed, something he'd never seen before. "No…course not. We're not in high school anymore…that kind of thing doesn't matter to me anymore."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than me."

She sighed but Chuck was the first to speak. "In any case, I can't, I'm waiting for—" His eyes averted as his sister walked up, looking uncertain. "—Kimi."

Angelica turned to face the other Finster. "Kimi. Hey."

Kimi forced a faint smile. "Hi, Angelica."

Chuck looked between the two young women who so obviously disliked one another. "Is it ok if Angelica shops with us?" he asked a bit timidly. Kimi wasn't nearly as scary as Angelica, but she could get pretty fiery.

"Yeahhh…that's fine. Well…Actually…I think I can handle it. We already decided on that I pod. I'll just get it myself. You two…do whatever." She gave her brother a knowing look. Chuck stared at her a moment, before taking out his wallet. He handed her his half of the money. "Ok, don't spend it all on liquor and prostitutes." She smiled a genuine smile and took it.

"Right…see you later."

Chuck watched Kimi walk into the mall with a strange feeling in his abdomen. He knew that Kimi disliked Angelica. And he knew that the major reason for her dislike was his longtime infatuation with Angelica and his resulting broken heart. But here Kimi was, practically telling him to take Angelica out on a date. At least, that's what it seemed like. He turned toward her. He was going to say something like 'see you later' but she smiled and his heart beat wildly against his ribcage. "I—Angelica—you want to go somewhere you've never been?"

"Hah. In this town?"

"I bet there are a bunch of places you've never been. Never even noticed."

He held out his hand. She took it.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The late afternoon sunlight shone through the branches of an ancient, towering oak tree. A breeze blew over them gently, rustling the tall grass.

"It's beautiful," sighed Angelica. "Can't believe it's just outside of town."

Chuck stretched out his long legs awkwardly. They were sitting on a blanket that had been in the backseat of his car. Angelica lay down, her arms beneath her head. "Ya know, I'm not sure I believe that you just _happened _to have this blanket in your car. I bet you bring all the girls here."

Chuck laughed. "Girls. Right."

"Look." Angelica pointed at the bright blue sky. "That cloud."

Chuck lay down beside her and followed her finger. "That one?" he asked, pointing. "It's a rabbit, right?"

She laughed. "Uh, no. It's a duck, _obviously_." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, _obviously_."

She turned her head and their faces were mere inches away.

"Chuck."

The sound of his name on her lips, barely a whisper, was the only thing that could make this moment even more perfect.

"Chuck?"

"Oh…sorry. I—I spaced out."

"I'm sorry about yesterday."

"Angelica, _I'm _sorry. I should never have implied that you're shallow or anything like that—"

"—I shouldn't have gotten so angry…I don't even know why. I've been a total nightmare lately."

"Even more than usual?"

She smiled, to his great relief. "Even more than usual. I just…feel…all these contradictory things. Nothing in the past year has made sense."

"It's just going off to college and all that. The stress."

"Yeah…maybe. But I think it's something else…I'm just…really confused about some things. Well, one thing."

She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could cry."

He looked at her. "You can cry, if you want. I won't tell anyone."

"No…no, I can't. As in, I'm not able to. I haven't cried since I was a little girl."

He looked at her oddly. "Angelica…That's really sad."

"Yeah….I guess it is."

Her cornflower blue eyes stared into his and her golden blond hair blew around her face like ripened grains. He could kiss her now. He was so close. It would be easy. But she turned away to look back at the sky and he eventually did the same.

"A turtle." she said, pointing at another cloud. She slipped her other hand into his. He grasped it.

"No. It's a dinosaur."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Now, Dillon, get your feet off the coffee table." Tommy whacked his brother's feet with a rolled up magazine. "And did you do your homework, young man?"

Dil guffawed. "I thought Mom was out of town."

"Speaking of that, they'll be back in just four days."

"Yeah," said Dil, flipping through the discarded magazine. "This week's gone by really fast."

Tommy sighed. "It's Wednesday and we haven't gotten wasted or had an orgy with the cheerleading squad—"

"—or been abducted by aliens—"

"—or anything remotely interesting." finished Tommy.

"Don't worry, big bro. There's still Chuck's party on Saturday."

Tommy put his feet up on the coffee table next to Dil's. "I dunno. He was pretty adamant about us not throwing him a party."

Dil chuckled. "Yeah. Like that's ever stopped you before.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chuck twisted a piece of grass between his thumb and forefinger. "So are your parents pretty pissed?"

"About the credit card thing? Yeah…Well, Mom's, you know, whatever. She took the phone away from her ear for maybe thirty seconds to yell at me and then was gone. Daddy's still a little bit upset."

"A bit upset?" Chuck gave her a knowing look. "He's not even mad anymore, is he? He's putty in your hands, huh?"

"Not quite."

He picked up a nearby stick and started to doodle in the dirt. "Ah. So you're actually getting punished?"

She picked up another stick and started to loop her own circles around his. "Sort of. Well…Daddy was getting me this great purse." Her eyes met his. "_Coach_."

He shrugged. "And that means what to me?"

"Anyway," she continued. "Now he might not get it for me."

"Wow. What a punishment." She ignored his sarcasm and pulled the stick out of his hand, entwining her fingers with his. She leaned in, until her lips were maybe two inches from his. He combed his fingers through her hair clumsily and, beneath a hundred year old oak tree at twilight, he kissed Angelica Pickles.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica ran her fingers through Chuck's messy hair. Kissing him felt so weird yet so right. She pulled away, breathing heavily, and he grinned against her cheek.

"I guess I better go," she whispered, teetering uncertainly on his doorstep.

"You can come in if you want."

She giggled and pushed him. "You trying to seduce me, Finster?"

He looped an arm around her waist and held her very close, his glasses cool on her face. "Why? Do I stand a chance?"

"_Maybe_…"

"No one's home." He waggled his eyebrows in what apparently was supposed to be a suggestive manner.

She laughed. "Ok, I'll come in for just a minute."

She followed him inside and tried to quell the twisty feeling in her stomach. This whole…whatever it was…was happening awfully fast. She wasn't thinking in terms of physicality. Angelica had never been shy about flaunting and enjoying her sexuality. She was more skittish of getting close emotionally. Not that she'd ever had anything to worry about when it came to the boys she usually dated. But things had always been different when it came to Chuck.

"So this is your room, huh?" She sat on the corner of his bed and surveyed the room around her. "It's so…clean."

"No, no, it's just your normal teenager's room. Yep."

Angelica eyed a set of coasters on his bedside table. "Right."

"So what do you think? Could I seduce you in this room?"

The truth was that Angelica suddenly found Chuck Finster unnervingly sexy. Of course, she didn't tell him that.

"Oh, I dunno, Chuck. It's so…tidy."

Books and magazines lined his bookshelves and Angelica had the feeling that they were alphabetized. Everything had its place. She bit back a grin and stood, circling the room.

"So…do you want something to drink? Or to eat? You haven't eaten in a while, have you?"

She slid her fingertips across the top of his nightstand and surveyed it. Not a bit of dust. "No, thanks. I'm not really hungry. Actually, I feel really good…like..."

"High?"

She laughed. "Yeah. High on this day. It's been pretty great."

"Definitely."

She reached underneath his nightstand. "What's this?"

"Oh. Oh." He grabbed the box from her. "That's nothing." He pushed it under the bed. She raised her eyebrows.

"And what's this—"

"Nothing."

He shoved the second box under the bed with the first.

"Chuck. _Two _boxes of porn? You can't be serious?"

"_What_? I don't know what you're—I—that's not—"

"Yeah, _right_."

"What I mean is—"

"Oh, forget it. I'm just being my usual nosy myself. I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok." He pulled a cardboard box out from under his bed.

She held up her hands defensively. "Woah, Finster, I don't wanna see your stash."

"Angelica, seriously. This is not porn…ok, that first box was, but this isn't. This is something…important." He opened the flaps of the box. She was torn between her intense curiosity and the thought that she should respect his privacy. The curiosity won. From the box, he withdrew…

"A trowel?" She reached into the box and pulled out some paper packets. "Seeds?" she asked. "Daffodils. Lilies. Roses."

"Yeah. This stuff belonged to my mom." His eyes met hers. "Not Kira. I mean, I call Kira Mom and I really love her. She's the only mother I've ever known. But she's not my real mom. This woman was." He pulled out an old photograph and handed it to her. It was of a freckled, red-haired woman, smiling prettily at the camera, an unmistakable baby Chuckie in her arms.

Angelica smiled. "_Holy shit_, Finster. Two freckled, red-haired parents. You poor kid. You never stood a chance."

She grabbed hold of something brown and matted, pulling it from the box. "What is _this_?"

He blushed. "Um…That's WaWa. She gave him to me before she died, when I was just a baby. I don't remember that, of course, but that's what Dad tells me."

Angelica could no longer tell where his hair ended and his face began, so she didn't want to embarrass him further by pushing the subject. She put the tattered teddy bear back in the box.

"This is pretty, huh?" He placed a jewelry box in her hands. It was small but old-fashioned and intricately detailed, obviously a family heirloom. She ran her fingers over the lid, which was emblazoned with fleur-de-lys.

"Go ahead. Open it." She did. Inside was a tangle of pearls and gold and silver. Angelica picked up a clump, which turned out to be several necklaces tangled together. "Can't believe it's so messy."

He smiled. "She was messy, apparently. Dad said that, when she died, he couldn't bring himself to organize it. It felt wrong. I think he sometimes drove her up the wall with his OCD-ness."

"Yeah, that's definitely where you get it from."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She giggled and pulled a delicate gold chain from the clutter, miraculously untangled.

"Oh, now, that _is _something special." he said.

She eyed the pendant that hung from the chain, a dainty porcelain rose painted a soft pink.

"My Grandpa Marvin—my dad's father—gave that to my Grandma Shirley on their wedding day over 50 years ago. And then Grandma Shirley gave it to Dad, who gave it to my mother on their wedding day. And now it's mine. Someday, I'll give it to my wife."

"Hmm…well, it's very pretty." She tucked it in the velvet-lined pocket in the jewelry box. Chuck smiled, kissed her cheek and began to put his mother's things away carefully.

"Now, are you sure you're not hungry?"


	6. Thursday

**Author's notes: first of all, thanks for all the reviews! They make me happy!**

**Also, someone pointed out that Chuckie's birth mom, Melinda, appears in the AGU series (flashbacks and home movies) as a brunette, with tan skin. However, I don't watch the AGU series (I would if I could…I should see if it still comes on tv or if the dvd's are on Ebay or something…anywho) so I dunno about this. She appeared on the Rugrats Mother's Day Special as red-haired and freckled. For a pic, go to www. rugratonline. com and click on the "Characters" link at the bottom of the page. Then there is a link that says "Parents". I tried to provide a direct link here, but it didn't work.**

**(random note: Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall did her voice hehe)**

**This is the only picture I can find of her online. If anyone has a picture that shows her differently or something, please let me know! I'm a little confused. I'm not too concerned, but I'd like to stick to the facts of the Rugrats universe if I can. Also, if you have any other useful information on the characters or their backgrounds, feel free to let me know ) Thanks.**

**Thursday**

Tommy sighed. Angelica was on his doorstep. _Again_.

"Why, Thomas, cousin, darling! You act as though you're not thrilled to see me."

He rolled his eyes and, without inviting her in, made his way back to the couch. She invited herself in as she always did and followed Tommy. He unpaused the game he was playing, trying his best to ignore his cousin. Angelica settled in on the couch beside Chuck, touching his thigh briefly when Tommy wasn't looking. Her heart beat against her ribcage and she was filled with the excitement of having a secret romance. But she quickly pulled away and crossed her legs demurely, leaning back against the couch casually.

"Hey Finster, how's it going?"

Chuck tried his best not to grin. "Fine, thanks."

She held out her bag for him to see. It was leather, in various shades of brown and gold, with an elaborate gold buckle. "Whaddaya think?"

Chuck grinned. "So he did get it for you, after all. Surprise, surprise. How much did this little number cost your _daddy_, just out of curiosity?"

Angelica grinned. "$250."

Chuck whistled. "Wow…that's ridiculous."

Angelica turned toward Tommy, who'd been oblivious to the whole exchange. "Tommy, where's your usual gaming partner?

"What do you mean?"

"Lil. Duh."

He scowled. "Well, she hasn't been 'round lately, thanks to you."

"Me?" she asked innocently. "What did I do?"

"You made that comment the other day. Made it all awkward."

Chuck furrowed his brow in confusion. "What comment?"

"_She_—" he poked Angelica—"made some comment implying that I want to be more than friends with Lil. And now she's all weirded out and hasn't been around."

"Ok," said Angelica, "First of all, you _do _want to be more than friends with her, it's _so_ obvious. Secondly, how do you know she's weirded out? Maybe she's embarrassed because she likes _you_." Angelica crossed her arms over her chest. "Which doesn't say much for her taste in men, but it could very well be true."

Tommy didn't say anything and Angelica knew that he hadn't even considered this possibility. Which was quite endearing as her cousin was (for some reason or another) pretty popular at school and had his share of female admirers. Although he was generally cocky about his way with the ladies, he was obviously intimidated when it came to Lil. Angelica knew what it was like. Although every guy wanted her, she had been a little afraid that geeky Chuck Finster wouldn't want her, for some reason or another. She felt a sudden closeness to her cousin, but it went away quickly. Right now, she wanted him out of the room.

"Tommy, would you please get me a drink from the kitchen?"

"Why can't you just get it yourself?"

"I mean, I could. It's just that I'm a guest in your home and it's only polite to—"

"Alright. Damn." He paused his game and stood up. "Whaddaya want?"

"Whatever."

"Ange—"

"Coke, juice, milk, whatever." she said disinterestedly.

He made an exasperated noise and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Angelica grabbed Chuck's t-shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him desperately. He kissed her back, just as passionately, if not more, his hands in her hair. They didn't come up for air until Tommy made a noise in the kitchen.

"Meet me at your house in ten minutes." she whispered. She pulled away quickly, straightening her hair the best she could before Tommy returned with three cans of Coke. He set them down on the coffee table and pushed one toward Angelica. "There you go, _Your Majesty_."

"Oh Tommy, you don't have to call me that. _Your Highness_ will suffice." She stood. "But, ok, look at the time, I must be going."

"But your drink—"

"I'm not that thirsty, actually. Well, Ciao!" She hurried out the front door.

"Huh." said Tommy. "That was strange."

"Yeah…well, I think Imma go. Homework."

"Homework? Tomorrow's the last day of classes."

"Yeah. It's, um, extra credit. Later, man." Chuck practically ran out, leaving a very confused Tommy behind.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica giggled as he kissed her ear, her throat, her collarbone, making her feel all sorts of delightful shivery feelings that she did not normally associate with Chuck Finster. She sighed and slid her hands beneath the fabric of his shirt, across his back, his bare skin warm against hers. She kissed his mouth. "I love how your parents are never home. It's terribly convenient."

"They're both at work. But they'll be home soon."

"I'll risk it."

"Yeah, well, if my parents come home and find you in my bed, they might be a little shocked, considering, as far as they know, you and I don't speak." She laughed and kissed his neck, his slightly scruffy cheek, his lips. He cupped her face.

"Angelica?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we?"

"I—what do you mean?"

"I mean…we have this amazing day yesterday…I would definitely call it a date. After all, we did make out a lot. And then today at Tommy's, you're all secretive. Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"Nooo….I wouldn't say that, exactly."

"You wouldn't say that, _exactly_?" he asked angrily. "What the hell does that mean? Either you would say it or you wouldn't."

"I—just don't want everyone in my personal life until I figure some things out. I'm sort of confused. I'm—I've been struggling with a lot of feelings for a long time….I'm not good with feelings, to be honest with you."

He sighed. "Ok…ok…I'll give you some time."

"And," she continued, "I kind of like the idea of these secret rendezvous. It's pretty hot." She kissed him again and he grasped her hips, pulling her close. She squealed in surprise. "_Chuckieeeee_…I—What's that?"

"Chuck?" a voice called down the hallway. Angelica pulled away hastily. Chuck stood and straightened his clothes. "Coming, Dad!" He swiped at his hair, in a futile attempt to control it and left the room, leaving a rather excited Angelica behind.


	7. Friday

**Friday**

Tommy laughed as he opened the door. "What are you doing?" Chuck stopped mid-moonwalk and grinned. "I dunno. I'm just in a good mood." Tommy motioned him inside. "Well, please, not in our front yard. We still have a couple of neighbors that haven't been scared away by Dil yet."

Chuck laughed. "Don't worry, none of them are girls."

"I dunno," said Tommy, "Mrs. Bell's pretty hot, though, admittedly, not as hot as your mom."

"Not cool, man."

Chuck pushed him, but still had a goofy grin plastered on his face. He settled down on the couch next to Dil, stealing some of his potato chips when he wasn't looking. He almost choked laughing when he realized what was playing on the stereo.

"Tommy, is this…Justin Timberlake?"

"Yeah, man. JT's the shit, don't hate."

"Unfortunately, I knew this day would eventually come. I'm sorry, Tommy, but we can't be friends anymore."

"Yeah, right. If I dissed _you_ for every totally lame thing that you've ever done, we'd have parted ways years ago.

"Point taken."

"Besides, Chuckster, you're missing the point. The ladies love JT. I'm gonna be a big hit." He started moving to the music. "Gotta practice my moves for the girlies tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Your graduation party," chimed in Dil before Tommy could stop him.

Chuck groaned. "You guys just don't give up. I honestly—"

"—Those flashing lights—"

"—don't want—"

"—she's got me love stoned—"

"—a party—"

"—she's bad and she knows—"

"Tommy! Stop with the hip thrusting, it's freaking me out!"

"Sorry."

"And listen to my pleas."

"Ok, no party. Whatever."

"I don't believe you—"

Chuck jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open. _New Message_. It was from Angelica. It read _meet me at your house_.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chuck thought he'd beaten her there, until he noticed she was parked across the street in her father's black BMW. As he approached, she got out of the car.

"Hey," he said..

"Hey. How was your last day of school?"

He pulled her shades off. "I hate these stupid bug eye sunglasses. Trends are dumb."

She gave him a weak smile. "They're not _bug eyes_. They're very Jackie O." she said, putting them away in her purse.

"Yeah, anyways, school was ok. Missed you, though." He grinned sheepishly. "You should come in. My mom's making stir fry tonight—"

"—Chuck—"

"I mean, I can have someone over for dinner, right? We'll just tell them we've been hanging out a bit since you came home. Think they'll buy that?"

"I—"

"Or is that too weird for you? I don't want to move too fast and weird you out or anything."

"Chuckie, I really need to talk to you…."

His excited expression melted away. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

"I—I did something bad." she said. He looked at her uncertainly.

"I went to this party last night," she continued. "At Ashlee's. And I drank way too much and, just, ugh, I dunno…"

He hesitated.

"Angelica…listen, if you made out with some guy—" His stomach tightened at the thought. "—Or even slept with someone—" His chest felt like it was going to explode with an uncharacteristically insane jealousy. "—Then that's ok…we're not exactly a couple."

"No…no, that's not it."

His chest deflated. _Thank God_. "Then, what?"

"I took your mother's necklace I took it I wanted to wear it I—I don't even know why I don't know what I was thinking and then I think I lost it at Ashlee's party." She said all this in one breath.

"You—you what?"

She bit her lip. "I was going to return it, really. I didn't even mean to wear it to the party. I just kind of forgot I was wearing it."

He didn't say anything but turned and ran toward his house.

"Chuck!"

He ignored her and made his way through the front door and down the hall to his room.

"Chuck?" called Kira.

He pulled out the cardboard box and knocked everything out on the bed. He picked up the jewelry box and rummaged through the tangled mess. It was gone. She really had taken it. He ran back down the hallway.

"Chuck? Sweetie—"

"Everything's fine, Mom, I'll be right back."

He slammed the door behind him.

Angelica crossed her arms over her chest as he approached. "Look, I'm really sorry."

"How did you lose it?"

"I think that Josh Stevens might have—"

Chuck pushed both hands through his hair. It looked as though he'd pull his hair out. Angelica was a little nervous over how upset he looked.

"You think—you _think_—"

"Well, he said something about the necklace. And he was staring at it all night…but, then again, he could have just been staring at my cleavage…so…yeah, he's not a thief, just a pervert."

He rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. "Yeah, Angelica, he's a pervert. But he's also a total druggie. I bet he did take it, and sold it right away."

"Oh, I don't know—"

"Face it, Angelica, you have shitty friends. They don't care about you; they don't give a shit about you! I don't know why you hang around those losers."

"_Losers_?" she said indignantly, her cheeks pink.

He kicked a rock and it flew down the street, hitting a parked car. He didn't look to see if there was any damage. For once, he didn't care who or what he hurt. He was sick of being the Good Samaritan.

Angelica drew in a breath sharply. She'd never seen him like this.

"Look, I'll pay for it."

"You'll pay? You'll _pay_? Why is everything always about money with you?" He was yelling now. "I don't care about the money! That necklace was my _mother's_. I was going to give it to my wife someday. It was a family heirloom and now it's gone and everyone will know I'm the one who lost it…And you know why?...Because I made a mistake. I can't believe I let you do this to me again. I should never have believed that you'd actually changed."

His face was now only inches from hers. "You are, and always will be, a _selfish, conceited, spoiled brat_." He turned around and crossed the street hurriedly, disappearing into the pinks and oranges of the setting sun, until she couldn't see him for the darkness. And then he was gone.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Kimi's black eyes narrowed at Angelica through the crack of the door. "Chuck doesn't want to talk to you."

Angelica pushed her foot in before Kimi could close the door. "Kimi, let me in!"

"No, this is private property! Trespassing is illegal in all 50 states!" She kicked at Angelica's foot.

"Just let me—"

"—No, go away—"

"—I just want—Ow!"

"Ow! Stop it!"

"What the hell's going on here?"

Lil had walked into the living room to find Kimi and Angelica kicking at each other over the threshold. Her seafoam green Converse locked with Angelica's black Jimmy Choo, Kimi gave Lil a sheepish look. Angelica pushed the door open and slipped in.

"Aha!"

"Dammit!"

Angelica started toward the hallway. Lil grasped her arm gently. "He's not here."

"Oh."

Lil gave Angelica a knowing look.

"What's that?" Angelica demanded, hands on her hips.

"What's what?"

"That look. I don't need that look from you. What is that, contempt? You don't know me, you don't know anything about me!"

Lil rolled her eyes. "And you don't know anything about _me_, or what I think!...That was a look of empathy, as in I know what you're going through. I was just trying to be nice, Angelica. But, of course, you always have to ruin it."

"I'm not going through anything. I just want to talk to Chuck for a minute."

Lil sighed. "Fine. Whatever. But we don't know where he is."

Angelica lowered her arms. "What did he tell you?" she asked quietly.

Kimi's glare hardened. "He didn't tell me exactly _what_ you did, but I know it was pretty terrible, because—" She stopped mid-sentence and crossed her arms, her pointy chin in the air. "He doesn't want to talk to you."

"Kimi, give her a chance. The fact that she even came here proves that she really cares for him."

"I—I don't know what—I" Angelica stuttered.

"She's hurt him for the last time—"

"Oh, you're being just as immature as she is!"

"I don't have feelings for—I just—that's ridiculous."

"He needs to forget about her and maybe he'll finally be happy."

"Don't you think that's for Chuck to decide?" finished Lil.

Kimi chewed her lip. "I guess so…" she acquiesced reluctantly.

"I don't…have those kinds of feelings for Chuck. I don't have those feelings for anyone. I don't even believe in love. It's a ridiculous, outdated concept."

Kimi and Lil exchanged glances.

"It's—it _was_—just a fling. I didn't mean to hurt him. I just don't want him to be mad at me. I want to…fix it. But I…um…could use your help, Kimi" She mumbled this last part, looking anywhere except Kimi's face.

There was a tense silence that seemed to go on for ages.

"Ok." Kimi said finally. "But first, you're going to have to tell me—"

"—_Us_" interjected Lil. She smiled at Angelica. "I want to help." And, for the first time in her life, Angelica was grateful.

"Ok," continued Kimi, "You have to tell _us_ what happened."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica reached into her purse for her keys.

Kimi laughed. "Yeah, _right_!"

"What?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to take your dad's BMW where we're going."

Angelica groaned. "I can not believe I let you talk me into this."

Kimi opened the back door of the station wagon and invited Angelica in with an exaggerated flourish of her arms. "Your limo awaits, Your Highness."

Lil giggled. Angelica rolled her eyes but got in. Once they were all buckled in, Kimi started the engine and backed out of the driveway, praying that her parents wouldn't wake up. She had no desire to be grounded for the rest of her life. When they made it down the street with no problems, there was a collective sigh of relief.

Lil's eyes met Angelica's in the rearview mirror. "Comfortable, Your Highness?"

"Um…yeah, I'm ok."

"Eww!" shrieked Kimi in an uncanny imitation of Angelica's voice. "It smells like poor people in here!"

"I don't think you're poor! There you go, thinking you know me!"

"Ok, ok, it was just a joke, Princess!"

"Let's see what's on the radio." chimed in Lil desperately.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica tightened her jacket around her and looked at _Bigg Daddy's 24 Hour Pawn Shop_ warily.

"Maybe it's at this one." offered Lil hopefully.

"Maybe." said Kimi, a bit less confidently.

"I hope so," sighed Angelica. "I've never been to so many pawn shops in my life. What am I saying? I've never been to even one pawn shop until today! And now I know why…" She eyed a stain on the sidewalk, which looked suspiciously like blood.

"It's the only thing we can do, really." said Lil.

"Hey, Sugar."

Angelica turned toward the person addressing her, a woman in a short, skintight leopard print dress, who was holding a cigarette. "Got a light?"

Angelica gripped her purse tightly. "No, sorry, I don't smoke." she lied. She grabbed Kimi's wrist and dragged her into the pawn shop.

"Oh, my God!" Angelica whispered once they were inside. "That was a prostitute! A prostitute just asked me for a light. And that stain looked a lot like blood! _Holy shit_, we're going to die, we are _going_ to die."

Kimi pulled her wrist away. "Angelica, get a grip! We're not going to die!"

"Ok, I'm just a little stressed out, Kimi! It's two in the morning, we're in the worst part of town and we've been in at least 15 pawn shops tonight."

"Why, hello, ladies."

All three girls turned toward the mountain of a man who was sitting at the front counter.

Lil stepped forward and Angelica was in awe of her.

"Hello." She said in an uncertain voice, eyeing the man's tattoos. "I take it you're Bigg Daddy?"

He smiled, a gold tooth glinting in the fluorescent lighting. "At your service, Sweetness."

"Uh…yeah. So we're looking for a necklace. One in particular."

Angelica walked up to the counter, inspired by Lil's bravery. "It's gold and has a little pink rose pendant. Have you seen it?"

Bigg Daddy rubbed his goatee. "As a matter of fact, Little Lady, I believe I _have_ seen the necklace you're talkin' about. Wait right here."

He went into the back ("We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die." whispered Angelica frantically) but returned shortly, with a necklace.

Not just any necklace, but _the _necklace.

"That's it!" yelped Angelica excitedly. She reached for it. He pulled his hand back.

"Whoa, now, Sweetness, you can't just have it!"

"But it was stolen from me!"

"That ain't my problem. Now, what are you gonna give me for this necklace?"

Angelica instinctively reached into her purse for her dad's credit card but then stopped. She decided not to use it. She didn't know why, but she felt guilty. Instead she peered inside her billfold. She pulled out a few dollar bills.

"That's all I have."

Lil and Kimi both reached into their pockets and added a few more dollars to the pathetic pile of crumpled bills on the dirty counter.

"You're gonna hafta do better than that."

"But that's all we have!" insisted Angelica.

Bigg Daddy grinned, gold tooth flashing. "That's an awfully nice purse, Darlin'. Looks expensive."


	8. Saturday

**Thank you, everyone, for reading and for your reviews! I hope you like the last chapter as much as I do, albeit the teen movie-esque cheesiness. And Part 2 should be up very soon! **

**Saturday**

"Big Brother!" Kimi jumped into Chuck's arms and kissed his cheek.

"Little Sister!"

"So, how's it feel, Graduate?"

Chuck gave her a weak smile. He clasped his cap and twirled the tassel in his fingers. "It feels…great." he lied.

Kimi chewed her lip thoughtfully. She knew her brother felt like crap and she wanted desperately to make him feel better. She wanted to let him know that everything was going to be all right, but she had promised Angelica she wouldn't say anything. Kimi never thought that she would promise Angelica anything, or that she would keep anything from her beloved brother. However, as Kimi was beginning to realize, sometimes things turned out very differently from what you expected.

Chuck jumped as a camera flashed in his face. "Ow! Dad, you're killing me here!"

"Sorry!"

Kira smiled, her dark eyes shining. "I can't believe it! Our little Chuckie, all grown up! Going to college!" She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. A very tight hug.

"Mom, can't….breathe…"

Chas looked at though he was holding back tears. "We're just so proud of you, Son."

"Kira finally released her son, and wiped at her eyes. "Doesn't it make you nostalgic, Darling? It seems like just yesterday they were babies." She pinched Chuck's cheek. "You were _so adorable_ with your little glasses!"

Kimi guffawed. Kira turned toward her and smiled. "And you, Kimi, with your little cowboy boots! You loved those boots!"

Kimi blushed. "Ok, ok, this is Chuck's day. Let's leave me out of it."

Chas' cell rang. "Hey. Yeah, we're still here. Ok. Ok, see you soon." He flipped the phone shut. "That was Grandma and Grandad. We're going to meet them at the house for a little party."

"Wow!" said Kimi. "A party with Grandma and Grandad! That sounds awesome!"

"Doesn't it?" said Kira, missing her daughter's sarcasm.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"You get prettier and prettier every time I see you!" Marvin Finster said, pinching Kimi's cheek.

"Thanks, Granddad." said Kimi.

"Here's a little something for you, Dear." said his wife, handing Kimi a crinkled $20 bill.

"Thanks, Grandma!" she said, with a lot more enthusiasm.

As her grandparents walked off to congratulate Chuck some more, Kimi's cell rang. She answered it quickly, heading outside for privacy.

"Hey, Tommy."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Not much. My grandparents are here. And some other people. We're having a party for Chuck."

"Oh, man. Don't wear yourself out! Remember, there's still tonight's party." Tommy said sarcastically.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"I thought so."

"No, it's actually really great. All the cake and finger foods you can stand. Thrills and chills. And relatives, ugh. My Uncle Bob keeps giving me weird looks. I think he's kind of a pervert."

"Well, you're not related by blood. Doesn't count."

"Eww! It's still wrong and gross, Tommy! He's all old and…_creepy_, ugh."

"How's Chuck?"

Kimi hesitated. She was being tested again. "He's good..."

"Does he suspect anything?"

"No, he's completely oblivious, as usual."

"Ok, good. Call me and let me know when you guys are done there."

"Will do. And, don't worry, my parents are always in bed by nine. We'll probably head over around then."

"Awesome…Kimi?"

"Yeah?"

"Prepare yourself for the best party _ever_!"

"Oh wow. How should I go about preparing myself? Do I need a blueprint or a written plan of some sort?"

"Ha ha. Now who's being funny?"

"Seriously. How can I achieve ultimate party preparation? Is the Emergency Broadcast System involved? A fallout shelter?"

"Bye, Kimi."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Hi, Mrs. Deville."

Although she was surprised to see Angelica Pickles on her doorstep, Betty kept right on with her bicep curls.

"Angelica…How can I help you?"

"I was just wondering if Lil was here."

Betty raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know you and Lil were friendly."

"Mom." Lil stepped in from the kitchen, holding a can of orange soda. "Interrogating my friends again?"

Betty grinned. "Sorry." She backed up and motioned for Angelica to come in.

"Thanks, Mrs. Deville."

But even after she'd closed the door, Betty stayed nearby, lifting her dumbbells with her characteristic unfailing energy, and obviously watching the girls from the corner of her eye. Lil bit back a grin. "Um…let's go to my room."

Once Lil shut the door behind her, Angelica plopped down on Lil's bed.

"Well, go ahead, make yourself at home." Lil said sarcastically.

"Hey, isn't that what _friends_ do?" Angelica kicked off her shoes and stretched out.

"Oh yeah…well, I guess I did say that. But 'friend' is such a strong word. Let's just say that I guess you're not as much of a brat as I thought you were."

"Well…thanks, Lil. That's…nice."

Lil sat on the bed. "I try…So…are you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah…yeah, sure…But, actually, I came to ask…if you needed any help."

Lil looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Have you talked to Tommy lately?"

Lil blushed. "Oh. No. Not really."

"Well, what's the plan for tonight?"

"The…plan?"

"Yeah. How are you going to make Tommy yours?" Angelica rolled her eyes as if though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Tommy…_mine_?"

"See, this is why I came here. You helped me and now I want to help you. And you obviously have no idea what you're doing—"

Lil huffed indignantly.

"Well, you don't! Do you want him or not?"

Lil sighed. "I—I…Honestly….more than anything."

"Alright then. I have a plan. You in, Deville?"

Lil grinned. "I must be crazy. But, really…what do I have to lose?…Yeah…I'm in."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"The keg should go here."

"No, that's stupid, _Lillian_, it should go here."

"No, _that's _stupid, _Phillip_, it should go here, by the table, that just makes sense."

"You don't know—"

"Guys—" cut in Dil. "Stop it. We'll compromise and put it here, by the doorway."

"Told you by the table was a dumb idea," Phil said, walking away triumphantly.

"Actually, by the table's a really good idea," whispered Dil to Lil. "Help me move it, will you?"

Tommy walked in the front door, carrying two plastic grocery bags. "Hey, guys." He threw the bags down on the couch. Dil and Lil finalized the placement of the keg and stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"What do you think?" asked Dil.

Tommy grinned appreciatively. "Perfect. By the table's a great idea."

Phil scowled as he walked in from the kitchen. Lil grinned at him widely.

Tommy started unpacking his purchases. "I guess we got just about everything done."

Dil picked up some CD's off of the entertainment center. "I got some music picked out, Big Bro."

Tommy glanced over at his brother's contributions, which included a burned CD labeled _Mating Songs for Extraterrestrials_ in bright green marker.

"Uh…thanks, Man."

Dil grinned. "Always happy to help."

Lil giggled. "So…do you guys need anymore help? Cause I hafta go soon."

Tommy set a pack of red plastic cups on the table next to the keg. "How come?" he asked.

"Gotta get ready."

"Just wear that. You look fine."

Lil blushed. "Well…I just wanna look really nice. I…kinda have a date."

Tommy dropped the bottle of Coke he was holding and it barely missed the toes of a startled Lil, who jumped back just in time.

She picked it up and handed it to him. "I guessed I should have asked you if I could bring a guest, since you're throwing the party and all. I'm sorry. Is that ok?"

"No, it's not ok." cut in Phil.

Lil crossed her arms over her chest. "_Excuse me_?"

"This is the first I've heard about this. Who is this guy?"

"Uh, not that it's any of your business, but it's Eric Meyers."

"_Eric Meyers?_" asked her twin incredulously. "But he's like the most popular senior in school. The girls love him. He could have any chick he wanted!"

Lil huffed indignantly. "What does that mean, exactly? You don't think he'd choose me?"

"Eric Meyers?" asked Tommy in a low voice. No one heard him.

"How do you even know Eric Meyers?" continued Phil.

"We ran into each other at the mall. We were both looking at the same Playstation game."

"When did this happen?"

Lil rolled her eyes. "Look I don't tell you everything that I do, ok?"

"Eric Meyers?" asked Tommy again.

Phil grunted. "Oh, whatever. Just have fun with Eric 'I think I'm so cool because I'm the quarterback' Meyers."

Lil laughed. "Oh, you're just jealous, because you've never even been on a date."

Phil scowled. "Oh yeah…well…that's…"

Lil smiled and headed toward the door. "I gotta be going. See you guys at the party."

"..._ridiculous_…" mumbled Phil.

"Eric Meyers?" asked Tommy.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Cheer up, Big Brother."

Chuck looked up from his yearbook. He smiled. "I'm not sad. Just…reminiscing, you know? I can't believe high school is over."

Kimi sat on the bed next to him. "Look…I know that you're still upset about…whatever happened. But, it's your graduation night. You can't just sit around here and wallow in self pity…Let's call Tommy and see what he's up to."

Chuck smiled, sincerely this time. "Is this about my surprise party?"

Kimi grinned. "Ok, ok, you got me. Just do me a favor and at least act surprised when we get there…for Tommy."

Chuck closed the yearbook and sat up. "You think Angelica will be there?"

Kimi chewed her lip nervously. "Oh…I don't knoooow. Do you think she'd show her face after all this?"

"No…I guess not."

"Alright then." Kimi jumped up. "I'm gonna go grab my things. We'll leave in a few." She hurried to her room, careful not to look him in the eye. She really was no good at lying.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

When Chuck walked through Tommy's front door, he was genuinely surprised.

"Surprise! Happy graduation!" yelled a pretty, enthusiastic girl, jumping into his arms.

"Suzie?" He laughed. "Suzie Carmichael?" She grinned and kissed his cheek.

"The one and only."

Tommy clapped Chuck's shoulder. "Happy Graduation Day, Man." Chuck smiled.

"Congratulations!" said Dil, curly red hair poking out through the holes of the colander perched atop his head.

"Thanks…thanks a lot. This is really awesome." And he meant it. All thoughts of Angelica pushed out of his mind, he looked around and realized that life wasn't so bad. What more could a guy ask for on his graduation night than to be surrounded by his friends…and a few other people. Actually, a _lot _of other people. Mostly girls.

"Uh…who are all these people?"

"Oh, you know, just a few friends." Tommy guided the nearest girl over to Chuck. "This is Michelle. She's sixteen, an Aries and enjoys long walks on the beach."

The pretty brunette smiled and held out her hand. "And I like older men."

Tommy grinned. "You can thank me later." he said as he walked away to a nearby crowd of giggling girls.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Tommy laughed. "But, seriously, ladies, all jokes aside, which one of you wants to spend the night with me?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

The redhead (Melody? Was that her name?) pushed him playfully. "Oh, _Tommy_, you are too much!"

"Yes, he is." agreed Monique, smiling. (Ah, Monique…what a lovely girl. Great kisser.)

The blonde (Jenny?) touched his arm. "You want to dance?" she asked.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but was distracted by the crowd's murmur as Eric Meyers walked in, followed by some girl with long, dark hair. Tommy grinned. He knew Lil had been lying about Eric. She was going to be so mad when she found out that her facade was ruined because he was here with some other girl. And what a knockout. Eric removed the girl's coat to reveal a skintight sapphire blue dress. She smiled at him and flipped her long hair out of her face, batting her eyes, which were done up all shiny and blue. She then looked in Tommy's direction and, when her eyes met his, she blushed and looked away. Tommy gaped in shock. The knockout was Lil.

"Tommy? I'm waiting."

"What? Oh…yeah…yeah, I'd love to dance."

He guided her out on the makeshift dance floor. "Oh, I love Justin Timberlake!" she squealed, moving to the music.

"Yeah, me too…." Tommy peered through the throng of people. The girl (Janet?) moved her hips against his, smiling. He smiled back at her but kept glancing away distractedly.

Then he saw what he was looking for. Lil and her date (He wasn't that good-looking, really) were nearby, also dancing. Tommy started to kick it up a notch, one hand on his dance partner's waist. She grinned and gave him a seductive look. "I've liked you for a long time, Tommy."

"Oh, really?" He spun her around and pressed her form tight against his in a saucy move, looking up to see if Lil was watching. She wasn't. The girl giggled. "You know, if things keep going this well, this might just be your lucky night." Tommy gave her a fake smile. "Maybe." he said. But it didn't look like it.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"And I like puppies, I just adore them!"

"Uh huh." said Chuck.

"Well," said Michelle, tossing her hair. "I've told you so much about me! Why don't you tell me something about you?"

"Oh, no. You're just fascinating, really." he lied. "I'm boring. I promise."

She giggled and took another swig of her drink, sloshing it all over the carpet. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his ear as she whispered, "I bet _you're_ fascinating." She bit her lip seductively. And, as if he didn't get the point already, she added, "I'm realllly drunk right now. So you could totally, like, take advantage of me, if you want."

"Um…"

"Chuck, you wanna dance?"

He looked up at Suzie gratefully. "I'd love to."

When they made it to the dance floor, Suzie rested her arms on his shoulders. "Are you having fun?" she asked.

"Yeah….definitely."

"Chuck, you're such a bad liar."

He grinned. "Just don't tell Tommy, he'll be upset if he doesn't think I'm enjoying myself."

"Cross my heart."

"Thanks."

She laughed.

"What?"

"Have you always been this awkward?"

He eyed her in disbelief. "Have you ever met me? Yes, I've always been like this."

She guided his arms to her waist. "Just relax. Follow my lead."

He did what he was told, and, just a few moments later, he was dancing like he actually knew what he was doing.

"See?" She smiled up at him. "You got it!"

"I do, don't I?" He smiled back at her.

And, for the first time all day, he was actually having a great time.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Tommy peered through the crowd, lost in thought. "Tommy!"

He snapped back to reality. "Huh?"

"What are you looking at?" the blonde demanded, hands on her hips.

"Uh, nothing…"

He finally spotted Lil and Eric again. She was sipping from a plastic cup and laughing at some (undoubtedly stupid) thing he was saying. Lil flipped her hair (Had it always been that long and shiny?) and looked in Tommy's direction.

"If you're not going to pay attention to me," the girl continued, "Maybe I should dance with someone else!" She broke away angrily.

"No, Baby, there's no need for that."

She huffed. "_Baby_?...Do you even know my name?"

"Of course I do…Jenny?"

She turned around and walked off.

"Wait, come back!…Jamie?...Jill?"

She gave him the finger without even turning around. Tommy ignored the laughs around him and made his way over to Lil.

She smiled at him as he walked up. "Hey, Tommy."

Eric grinned at him (moron). "Hey, Pickles. What did you say to Jacqueline? Looks like you really pissed her off."

(Jacqueline! That's her name!)

Tommy ignored him. "Lil, how about you drop this loser and dance with me?"

Lil frowned. "Tommy, that wasn't very nice."

Eric just grinned (idiot idiot idiot idiot). "Go ahead, it's ok with me."

Tommy stared. "What?...I mean…yeah…it better be."

Eric looked at Lil. "That is…if you _want_ to dance with him."

She hesitated then looked at Tommy. "Yeah…sure."

She handed her cup to Eric and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for a great time." she said. "But I think someone else is claiming me?" She looked at Tommy for confirmation. He smiled and grasped her wrist. "Yeah…yeah, you could say that."

They walked out to the dance floor just as a slow song came on. He looped an arm around her waist. He thought it would be awkward, dancing with her, but it wasn't. It felt right. "You look…really pretty." he said. She laughed.

"Thanks…I know, it's not really me. The dress and the make-up and all. It was all Angelica's doing."

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Angelica?"

"Yeah…I helped her with something and she wanted to help me in return."

"Wow, that sounds really…_nice_. Are you sure we're talking about the same Angelica? My cousin Angelica?"

She laughed. "I think so...Also…I have something else to admit to you." She blushed.

"What is it?" he asked, intrigued.

"The thing with Eric…it's not a real date…He's a friend of Angelica's and she helped me set this thing up…to make you jealous." She grinned at him sheepishly.

"I knew it! I knew you couldn't like an idiot like him!"

She raised an eyebrow. "So it worked?"

He pulled her close. "Maybe a little."

She laughed. "Well, there's no need to be." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Better than you can imagine." he said, thinking of the secret he'd kept from her for so long.

"Eric Meyers is gay."

He gaped at her. "_What_? Seriously? But the girls go crazy for him! He's the quarterback of the football team. He's—"

"Lower your voice!" she said. "It's a secret. Duh."

"Sorry." he whispered.

"Well…" he continued, "You look really nice. But it's unnecessary, really…" He cupped her face. "You always look beautiful, Lil. I should have told you that…a long time ago. I should have told you a lot of things a long time ago."

She smiled. "Like what?"

"For starters…that I'm in love with you."

"I love you, too." she replied, without hesitation.

Tommy kissed her, knowing that she was the last girl he'd ever kiss. And he was ok with that.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Phil walked up to Chuck and Suzie. "Woah, what's going on here?"

Suzie rolled her eyes. "We're just dancing, geez."

Phil waggled his eyebrows. "Yeah _Right_. Score, Chuckster!"

Chuck grinned. "Seriously, can't friends dance?"

Phil laughed. "I'm just messing with you guys…What happened to _Michelle_?"

"She was driving me crazy, but Suzie stepped in and saved the day."

She smiled, tossing her dark curls with a flamboyant twist of her head. "As usual. And you're welcome."

Phil glanced around. "Have you seen my sister lately? Is she still dancing with that loser Eric?"

Suzie pointed. "Uh, no, she's found someone else, apparently."

The boys followed her gaze. "Tommy!?" they asked simultaneously.

"No, not Tommy." said Phil.

Chuck stared at him. "Come on, Man, it's _Tommy_. One of your best friends. That's got to be better than Eric Meyers."

"I don't know…you know how he is…"

"Nah, he talks a lot but…it's just talk."

"So, what are you saying?" asked Suzie, grinning. "That Tommy isn't as, um, _experienced_ as his reputation implies?"

Phil laughed. "Aha! He's a virgin! I knew it! Is that it? Come on, I know he tells you everything, Chuck."

"Look, I don't know…and, even if I did, I'm not authorized to share that information."

"Such a bad liar." reiterated Suzie.

Chuck grinned, in a great mood. He was really happy for his best friend. He pulled Suzie close as a fast paced song came on. "Let's dance."

Suzie laughed, but stopped as the crowd suddenly broke out in murmurs. Chuck looked up to see Angelica standing at the threshold, looking stunning, as usual, in a little black dress. A _very _little black dress, Chuck couldn't help but notice. She stood very still, as if frozen to the spot. She looked at him but didn't move or say anything. The buzz of people whispering got even louder. A few people were trying hard to see over the crowd, not bothering to hide their curiosity. Some guy gave an appreciative whistle, which was followed by laughter.

Angelica's heart hammered in her chest. She had suddenly lost her nerve. She realized that she was just standing there and that people were talking about her, but her legs were shaking too much to move. Her plan was simple. Walk in, apologize to Chuck, and give him the necklace. Then she could walk out and never see him again, if she could help it. But, standing there, looking at him holding Suzie Carmichael in his arms, Angelica realized that she didn't want that to happen. She wanted to be the one in his arms. She wanted him to smile at her like that. She wanted _him_.

She slowly walked over to him, trying to block out the whispers of "Angelica Pickles" around her. She peered Ashlee's little sister, Britnee, from the corner of her eye, texting as if her life depended on it. She knew that she was probably texting Ashlee, keeping her updated on what was happening. Angelica ignored her and kept on. She finally finished the trip, which had seemed like ages.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi." he said.

Suzie pulled away gently and smiled at Angelica, hoping she got the message that she and Chuck were just friends. She nudged Phil. "Hey, Deville. You wanna dance?"

Phil grinned. "Yeah…definitely."

As Suzie and Phil walked out to the floor, the room started to get a little louder, and, for the most part, people went back to whatever they had been doing. However, a few people still stared at Angelica and Chuck unabashedly.

"I know you probably don't want to see me…" she finally said.

He looked at her beautiful face and tried to remember all the things that she'd put him though. He could not let her do it to him again.

"And I don't blame you. But…I came to…apologize…Not just for the necklace." She blushed. "But for everything. Everything I've ever done to you. I just want you to know…I never meant to hurt you…I know that sounds lame…but…I'm really sorry."

His head swam and he felt angry and hurt and confused…and sad. Very sad that she was never going to be his, despite what she did to him.

"I forgive you." he said softly. He wished people would stop staring at them.

She reached into her little black clutch and pulled out his mother's necklace. She handed it to him.

He grabbed it, looking at her disbelievingly. "Angelica, I—I…how did you get this back? Is it really?..."

She nodded. "It's the same one, I promise."

"How did you…?"

She finally smiled. "I went to about fifteen pawn shops. Well, I had some help. Kimi and Lil."

Chuck looked out at the crowd, where a smiling Kimi was giving him a thumbs up. Angelica laughed, dabbing at her wet eyes.

"Wow…how much did you have to pay to get this back?"

She sighed. "Well…I didn't have any money. And I couldn't bring myself to use Daddy's credit card. I felt guilty…You're rubbin' off on me, Finster!" She pushed him playfully. "So…I traded a bag for it."

He laughed. "A bag? Like…oh." His smile faded as he realized what she meant. "_Angelica_. You traded your new purse? But you love that purse! And it was really expensive! This necklace isn't worth that much, you know that, right?"

"Why is everything always about money with you?" she teased.

He wiped a tear away from her face. "Angelica, you're crying…"

She brought a hand up to her face to swipe at the tears. "Yeah…what do you know, I am."

He pulled her close, an arm around her slender waist. "Thank you…so much. I can't believe you did this…Why _did _you do this?"

She ran her fingers through his messy hair and, trying to ignore her thumping heart and the loudening whispers around them, she leaned in very close to him.

"Because I'm in love with you."

He touched her face gently.

"Angelica…it's always been you, you know that, right? I've always loved you."

Angelica, laughing and crying at the same time, looked around to notice that the crowd was buzzing excitedly, ecstatic for the opportunity to see gossip as monumental as this first hand. Britnee was on the phone, squealing "Yes, that's what I said, _Chuck Finster_!", not bothering to keep her voice down. Angelica looked back at Chuck and grinned. "Hey Finster, what do ya say we really give 'em something to talk about?" He smiled back at her and, right there in front of everyone, he kissed her. She kissed him back, (very) enthusiastically, and, when they finally came up for air, both a little flustered and breathless, Angelica realized that she was happy, for the first time in a long time.


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

So that's how it began. The Change. Of course, it was only the beginning. She still had a long way to go. But the first step had been taken. Angelica finally learned to truly love, and, more importantly, to let herself _be_ loved. Now, I'm not going to sit here and try to take the credit. I'm not responsible for the choices she made. She's the one who chose love over hate. Guilt over indifference. Selflessness over selfishness. I can only influence her decisions so much. _He_ can't even make decisions for them. But, as I've come to realize over these past few thousand years, they're really ok, people. They usually make the right choices in the end. Ok, so maybe we sometimes _nudge_ them in the right direction. But that's what we guardian angels do.


End file.
